UK music mag ‘NME’ becoming a free weekly

In the face of decline print sales/subsciptions, long-running UK music weekly New Musical Express is entering a new era, becoming a free publication after 63 years. Editor Mike Williams announced the change on NME.com today, saying:

So what we're giving to you is a major brand transformation that will deliver on all of these things. A brilliant new free weekly magazine that will reach more than 300,000 people each week, a new look NME.com that will bring you closer to the stories that you care most about, some shiny new digital products which I'll be able to tell you more about very soon, plus more live events, new video series and more interaction with you guys on new social platforms...

...As I type this, some of the NME team are locked away in a dark basement in NME Towers working on even more ideas to make sure it's not only a brilliant magazine, but that it gives you everything you asked us for. I'm confident that it will.